The Choice Academies: With Aspiration Comes Success
The Grace Place Middle School Choice Academies are 10-week programs that allow students like 7th graders Tony and Gabby, to study subjects they are intrinsically interested in and have a desire to pursue as part of their future life goals. Students rotate to a new academy after completing the ten weeks and presenting their work to a panel of judges. Offerings include computer coding, water ecology, the environment, leadership, chess, photography, and fashion design to name a few.
TONY’S STORY
Tony participates in our Art Choice Academy. Tony’s family immigrated from Cuba where his father owned an art gallery, which he says inspired him to pursue this after-school elective. His favorite types of art include sketching, animation, and sculpture such as clay and paper mâché. In addition to hands-on projects, he studied artists in different genres as well as the history of each genre, adding a reading and literacy component to the academy. He especially gravitates towards sculpting because the combination of the tactile and visual sensations allows him to mentally and physically “feel” his work. He is an outgoing young man who said he appreciates when his work is acknowledged. Tony believes that if “you work hard, success will come” which he says he learned firsthand when he and his parents first moved here and lived with his grandfather. “After eight months my parents saved enough for us to move into a small one-bedroom motor home, and now my parents own their own home.” After beginning at Grace Place in our elementary after-school program from grades K-2, Tony switched schools, moving him out of Golden Gate for a period. He was thrilled when he got to 6th grade at Golden Gate Middle School and was able to return to Grace Place. Tony hopes to improve his presentation skills and excel in math as well as his art skills. His dream is to become a professional architect and to make enough money so his parents can retire early.
GABBY’S STORY
Gabby is new to the Grace Place after-school program and chose the Culinary Choice Academy to be her first, because she loves cooking. She is extremely proud of her Haitian heritage which can often be found in her cooking. Her favorite go-to dish, Soup Joumou, is a Haitian/Caribbean comfort food made from beef, squash, root vegetables, cabbage, and pasta. During the summer program, Gabby expanded her cooking abilities and learned how to make sugar sliders, lasagna, and pancakes with blueberry syrup. She finds cooking to be calming, except for cleaning chicken and once admitted to badly burning a tray of cookies and her hand, but that was just once! Gabby wants to open her own catering business but plans to also study to be a nurse. The importance of choice in teenage education cannot be overstated. Teenagers are at a critical stage of their development, both academically and personally, and giving them the ability to make choices about their education can have numerous positive effects including fostering independence, diverse skill development, preparing for their future academics and ultimately keeping them engaged in their learning. Both Gabby and Tony say the Grace Place Choice Academies give them more opportunities to learn while spending time with their friends. They view the programs Grace Place offers as a path to better grades and increased opportunities for college scholarships.
